Local coaches not surprised by scandal

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 7:00 pm, Friday, December 14, 2007

One day after the Mitchell Report linked 85 players, including New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, to the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, Neville said he was saddened by the news.

But not shocked.

"I wasn't surprised, not at all. None of it surprises me anymore," Neville said Friday night. "We would all like to think our heroes are above and beyond this sort of thing, but unfortunately, they're not.

"Any name that showed up on the screen (Thursday) didn't surprise me," Neville added. "But deep down inside, it still hurts because you're watching these great ballplayers -- these legends -- being stupid."

It wasn't only Clemens, home run king Barry Bonds, and another Yankees starting pitcher, Andy Pettitte, who were exposed in the 409-page report.

There were plenty of other ballplayers, too, including Jack Cust and Bart Miadich -- hardly household names -- who were branded as cheaters.

"I think what (the Mitchell Report) does is leave the door open that anybody -- anybody -- could be doing steroids," Neville said. "It just sends a terrible, terrible message to kids. It's a black eye on baseball. There's no other way around it.

"You have to ask yourself, how much more effective does it make you by doing this stuff? Maybe when you're older, it will give you stamina and make you strong. But is it really worth it? In my opinion, it's not."

Eisenbach, who teaches middle school physical education, said two eighth-graders asked him about the Mitchell Report on Friday.

"I know that teenagers are young and at times naive. I know they think they're 'Superman' and that nothing can happen to them," Eisenbach said. "But I personally would be surprised if it's a widespread topic of interest with these kids.

"I just think they're too caught up in their own lives," Eisenbach said. "That said, I think this is where parents, coaches and teachers can really have the most impact, by talking to kids about it."

Like Neville, Eisenbach said he wasn't surprised by the depth of the Mitchell Report's findings. In fact, Eisenbach is afraid names were left out of the final analysis.

"I honestly think it's only the tip of the iceberg. I really do," Eisenbach said. "But I imagine there are all kinds of people coming up to the players and telling them to try this and try that.

"That doesn't make it right, of course. I'm not suggesting that I approve of what they did, not by a long shot. But it's definitely a sad day for baseball. It's a shame, really, that these players felt they didn't have any other options."

Aside from gaining a competitive advantage on the field, Neville said today's multi-millionaire ballplayers are motivated to gain a competitive advantage at contract time.

"But c'mon, how much money is enough? How many millions and millions of dollars do you need to make?" Neville asked out loud. "I tell my kids to stay away from that stuff and get your behinds in the weight room.

"Get in shape the right way, without taking any chemicals. Don't take shortcuts, because you're only going to end up cheating yourself in the end."